MBA News in Review – July 2016

As this summer is coming to a close, universities are gearing up for the Fall 2016 semester. The past month has brought news of multiple online MBA programs that have expanded their offering to include more specializations and focus areas. St. Bonaventure University, the University of South Dakota, and the University of Miami have all announced added specialized electives for online MBA students. These additions are important because they offer online students more possibilities in preparing for their future careers.

This month we are also noting some newsworthy events and articles in the Online MBA world. Northeastern University is celebrating their 10 Year Anniversary of the beginning of their Online MBA. This milestone is not only important to the university, but the whole online MBA community. Celebrations like these, and the fantastic article by US News and World Report, boast about the legacy and the future of online MBA programs and the leaders they develop. They encourage students and laborers in the online MBA world, and also show those that are watching us that these programs are not a passing fad, but a substantial segment in education that offers value to professionals and our communities.

Expanded Online MBA programs

St. Bonaventure University – Saint Bonaventure, New York

St. Bonaventure University just released that their online MBA is expanding. This new program, announced in February, has added to its general management track three new elective tracks: Accounting, Finance, and Marketing. This expanded elective offering adds depth to the newly launch online MBA which consists of 33-credit hours of core courses, electives, and a capstone course.

St. Bonaventure University was originally founded in 1858. It is a four-year, private, nonprofit, Catholic university offering over 50 undergraduate majors and programs, and 20 graduate programs to over 2,000 students annually. The university holds a regional accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

University of South Dakota – Vermillion, South Dakota

The University of South Dakota just announced that its Board of Regents has approved the addition of two new online MBA specializations. In addition to their general MBA and existing specializations in Business Analytics and Health Services Administration, students can now choose to specialize in Marketing or Operations and Supply Chain Management. This addition to the Beacom School of Business program offering makes the already strong and prestigious program more accessible to future leaders. The expanded specializations are just one portion of the robust online MBA, also consisting of core business courses and a residency experience.

The University of South Dakota, originally founded in 1862 as the University at Vermillion, is a four-year, public university. It has a student body of over 10,000 students and a degree offering of over 150 programs. The university is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

University of Miami – Coral Gables, Florida

The University of Miami just announced the addition of three new specialized focus areas in their online MBA program: Corporate Finance, Financial Decision Making, and Accounting Practice. These focus areas are added to the general Professional MBA degree that was launched online, one-year ago. This AACSB-International accredited program consists of 42-51-credit hours of foundational business and management courses, focus area courses, and residencies.

The University of Miami was originally founded in 1925 to develop the new and growing community in southern Florida. It is a four-year, private, nonprofit university, regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges. Today, the University of Miami offers over 280 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, to over 16,600 students annually.

Notable Events

Northeastern University – Boston, Massachusetts

This month marks the exciting Ten Year Anniversary of Northeastern University’s prestigious D’Amore-McKim online MBA. Over the past ten years, this program has become one of the most notable and respected online MBA degrees in the country. They can been seen consistently listed in online MBA rankings from US News & World Report, the Princeton Review, the Financial Times, and Quacquarelli Symonds. This program consists of core business courses and specializations in Finance, Healthcare Management, High Technology Management, Innovation Entrepreneurship, International Management, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and Sustainability.

Northeastern University dates back to the Department of Law courses offered in the basement of the Boston YMCA in 1898. Today, it is a four-year, private, nonprofit university regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, and one of the most elite and competitive research institutions in the country. The university is composed of nine colleges and schools offering undergraduate and graduate degrees to over 19,700 students annually.

Resource Article

US News and World Report, arguable the most popular education news publisher, just published a great article about what to expect in a top Online MBA program. They describe online MBAs as flexible, diverse, and beneficial to the working professional. One current online MBA student is quoted in saying that online MBA programs are “designed specifically for working professionals and people who do have lives outside of school.”

They describe online MBA programs with the following three qualities:

-A program that provides knowledge and business experiences in a variety of different modes of learning, including self-paced instruction, videos, readings, and online collaborative environments.

-A program that is inherently so flexible that students can participate in a robust master’s program while having a full-time or part-time job, juggling important family responsibilities, or both.

-A program that not just exists in a virtual environment as a practical mode of dispersing course material, but also as an on-going skill building environment for our ever-increasing virtual world.